Hertford Vale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Staxton

Inspection of Hertford Vale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Staxton Ings Lane, Staxton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO12 4SS

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 School, Staxton 12 and 13 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values of ‘respect, kindness, love, peace and resilience’ underpin everything that happens at Hertford Vale. Pupils and staff embody these Christian values. Pupils at this school are very happy, positive and welcoming members of the school’s ‘family’. A strong Christian ethos is evident throughout the school. Pupils have a very strong sense of equality. One pupil told an inspector, ‘Our school is very inclusive.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has carefully considered how to further refine the curriculum following the COVID-19 pandemic. Subject leaders are passionate about their subjects. The school has high expectations of what pupils should achieve across a broad and balanced curriculum. The school prepares pupils to make positive contributions to the community through a strong personal development curriculum. For example, the whole school celebrated ‘Pride Day’. Through established links with the church, pupils benefit from strong spiritual and moral guidance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe. Pupils show high levels of respect and tolerance for others. This means that behaviour across school is very positive.

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better?

The school has reviewed and developed its ambitious curriculum over the past year. Staff deliver this curriculum effectively with strong support from subject leaders. Pupils show high levels of enthusiasm and resilience in lessons. They make links between their current learning and what they have learned in the past. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Staff adapt the curriculum to ensure that this is the case. Where support is necessary, this is put in place and is effective. However, while the school has refined its approach to assessment, this does not always identify precise gaps in pupils’ knowledge in some subjects.

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better?

Staff teach phonics well. From children’s first days in Reception, there is a sharp focus on them learning to read. However, some pupils do not apply their phonic knowledge well enough in their reading and writing, particularly in spelling. As pupils move through the school, they become fluent readers who are able to access the wider curriculum. Where pupils in key stages 1 and 2 need extra help with reading, adults deliver timely and focused interventions. The school fosters and promotes a love of reading. Quality texts form the cornerstone of promoting reading for pleasure. The school has an inviting, well-stocked library.

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better?

Early years provision forms the foundation for children’s learning across the curriculum across the school. There is a comprehensive and ambitious curriculum for the youngest children. Reception has a purposeful learning environment with a clear focus on the development of language. Staff have high-quality interactions with children. They extend children’s learning through careful questioning and prompting. School, Staxton 12 and 13 September 2023

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There are very positive relationships between staff and pupils in the school. Behaviour in and around school is calm and orderly. Pupils display excellent manners and are polite, kind and caring. Parents, staff and children all agree that the school ensures all pupils are well behaved. Pupils readily identify trusted adults who they could speak to if any problems arose. Attitudes to learning are positive. Pupils respond well to instruction, and lessons proceed without disruption.

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The school has a carefully considered personal development curriculum. Pupils learn about the important concepts of tolerance and appreciation of diversity. Daily worship reinforces the school’s Christian ethos and immerses pupils in its core values. This includes strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural guidance. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the clubs and other opportunities they have access to through school. These include choir, eco-club, a sign-language club and a range of sports clubs. Pupil voice forms a crucial element of the school’s approach to personal development. There are numerous opportunities for pupils to develop leadership skills, including the worship council and sports leaders. The pupil-led business club, for example, organised fundraising for new play equipment. This included pupils giving a presentation to the parish council.

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A committed governing body supports the school well. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and the areas for further development. Teachers are positive about the support that they get from the school. They feel that their well-being and workload are very high priorities for the school. Close links with the diocese also benefit the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment in some subjects does not precisely identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means that some gaps may go unidentified and unaddressed. The school should continue to develop and sharpen teachers’ use of assessment to check pupils’ understanding accurately and systematically, informing more precise and focused curriculum content.  Some pupils do not apply their phonic knowledge sufficiently well in both reading and writing, particularly in spelling. This means that these pupils may not make progress through the curriculum as quickly as they could. The school should ensure that recent improvements in the phonics scheme translate into pupils’ application of their phonic knowledge in reading and writing across the curriculum. School, Staxton 12 and 13 September 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). School, Staxton 12 and 13 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There has been some turnover of staff since the previous inspection. The headteacher was in post at the time of the previous inspection.  The school admits children from Reception upwards. It currently has no nursery provision.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast club.  As the school is designated as having a religious character, it is inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005. The last section 48 inspection of the school was in June 2016. The school is listed on the Church of England website as likely to be inspected in 2023 to 2024.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. School, Staxton 12 and 13 September 2023

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, school leaders, other school staff, representatives of the governing body, a representative from the diocese and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils from Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Richard Beadnall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Devaney Ofsted Inspector School, Staxton 12 and 13 September 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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